A DAD is set to mark 10 years of fundraising for a charity that inspires young people suffering from cancer.

Tim Clark, from Poole, organised his first charity cycle for the Dame Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust in 2014, after going to the Southampton Boat Show.

He heard about how the charity inspires young people to believe in a brighter future through and beyond their cancer and reflected on his personal situation.

Tim said: “At the time, I had young children and my wife was undergoing chemotherapy. While my children were fit and healthy, I found it hard to imagine how young people would cope with recovery from cancer and rebuilding their lives.”

Tim has since raised thousands of pounds for the charity, including almost £4,000 in 2023 when he and a group of friends took on a tough cycle around Dorset.

He said that running a group event saves time and has a bigger impact.

“Personally, I don’t currently have the time to do something on my own,” he said. “By organising a team, it’s possible to run a single event and generate a significant contribution in a short timeframe, and friends get their friends involved to keep the event going.

“Getting people involved is the most challenging part. I use internal communications at my work and previous supporters encourage others to get involved.

“Large organisations, such as mine, provide volunteering days to promote fundraising and other community opportunities.”

Tim is looking forward to organising his cycling event once again later in the year as he marks the 10th anniversary of his first ride back in 2014.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust takes young people aged 8-24 living with cancer on sailing and outdoor adventures.

Through the adventures it organises, young people can ‘laugh, gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover independence, and feel optimism for the future’.

The charity also aims to ensure that young people ‘realise what they are capable of and stop feeling like ‘the only one’’.

This allows them to ‘start to re-establish their purpose and place in the world and believe in a brighter future’.

For more information on the charity, visit its website.